Rick Mercer went ziplining with Thomas Mulcair while the NDP leader was in Newfoundland and Labrador last month for a caucus meeting and much shrieking ensued.

Mercer and Mulcair had only met briefly once before, but they soon bonded over the terrifying-turned-tedious experience that is flying through the air suspended from a cable.

The first pass saw Mulcair let out a scream in — how does one say this politely? — a surprising tone (skip ahead to 2:40 to see the shriek). Mercer followed soon after, spinning himself around like an old pro.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW SLIDESHOW

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Much like in the recent South Park episode "I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining," Mulcair and Mercer soon became worried the adventure would never end after discovering they would have to traverse 10 separate cables.

"Who knew that there were 10 ziplines?" Mulcair asked. "I knew there was 10, I just didn't know you had to do all 10 to get down the mountain." Mercer replied.

The two did find some time to talk politics, with Mulcair revealing the NDP employs a team devoted to the task of digging through his past to discover likely avenues the Tories will use to attack him.

Mulcair also divulged that he was once a long-haired hippie, albeit one who went to law school.

Mercer: "Stephen Harper was a hippie."

Mulcair: "Really? I'd like to see pictures of him."

Mercer: "(Laughing) No, no he wasn't. No, no, no, no he spoke to a hippie once, he said 'No, I'm sorry I can't give you a ride.'"

The two men finished in tandem — literally — riding the rope together while Mercer joked that this was all part of a plot to knock off Mulcair and replace him with NDP MP, and former leadership hopeful, Paul Dewar.

The "Rick Mercer Report" appearance for the NDP leader with the prickly reputation came just after the far-from prickly Justin Trudeau finished up his televised speech announcing his intention to run for the Liberal leadership.

While Mulcair shrugged off the challenge from Trudeau during a recent dinner written about by Lawrence Martin for iPolitics, a poll last week found a Trudeau-led Liberal party could decimate the NDP and return them to third-party status.

Could Mulcair be mounting a media campaign aimed at softening his public image to better compete with Trudeau?

It's hard to say, but one thing is for sure: Mercer needs to get Trudeau on that zipline stat!

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• Little-Known Mulcair Facts

  Here are some facts you may not have known about NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair. (CP)

• 10. He Used To Be A Liberal

  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mulcair" target="_hplink">Mulcair was Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks</a> in Jean Charest's Liberal government in Quebec. He served in the role from 2003-2006. (CP)

• 8. He's French (Kind Of)

  Mulcair married Catherine Pinhas in 1976. She was born in France to a Turkish family of Sephardic Jewish descent. <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1158289--thomas-mulcair-s-wife-catherine-a-psychologist-and-political-confidante?bn=1" target="_hplink">Mulcair has French citizenship through his marriage</a>, as do the couple's two sons. (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)

• 7. They Used To Be Friends

  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mulcair" target="_hplink">Mulcair left Charest's Liberal government in Quebec </a>after he was offered the position of Minister of Government Services in 2006, an apparent demotion from Minister of the Environment. Mulcair has said his ouster was related to his opposition to a government plan to transfer land in the Mont Orford provincial park to condo developers. (CP)

• 6. Ancestor Was Premier Of Quebec

  Mulcair's great-great-grandfather on his mother's side was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_Mercier" target="_hplink">Honoré Mercier, the ninth premier of Quebec</a>. (Public Domain/Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec)

• 5. First!

  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mulcair" target="_hplink">Mulcair was the first New Democrat to win a riding in Quebec during a federal election</a>. He held the riding of Outremont during the 2008 election after first winning the seat in a 2007 by-election. Phil Edmonston was the first New Democrat to win a seat in Quebec, but his win came in a 1990 by-election. Robert Toupin was the very first to bring a Quebec seat to the NDP, but he did it in 1986 by crossing the floor. (Alamy)

• 4. He's Half Irish.

  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mulcair" target="_hplink">Mulcair's father Harry Donnelly Mulcair was Irish-Canadian</a> and his mother Jeanne French-Canadian. His father spoke to him in English and his mother in French -- explaining his fluency in both official languages. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• 3. He Votes In France

  Muclair has voted in past French elections, but says that now that he is leader of the Official Opposition <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1157191" target="_hplink">he will not take part in the upcoming French presidential vote</a>. (Thinkstock)

• 2. Young Love At First Sight

  <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1158289--thomas-mulcair-s-wife-catherine-a-psychologist-and-political-confidante?bn=1" target="_hplink">Mulcair met his future wife at a wedding when they were both teenagers</a>. Catherine was visiting from France. They married two years later when they were both 21. (CP)

• 1. Mr. Angry

  <a href="http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/03/16/thomas-mulcair-is-mr-angry/" target="_hplink">Mulcair was given the moniker in a Maclean's headline</a>, but the new leader of the NDP has long been known for his short fuse. In 2005, he was fined $95,000 for defamatory comments he made about former PQ minister Yves Duhaime on TV. The comments included French vulgarity and an accusation that alleged influence peddling would land Duhaime in prison.